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With the premiere of Project Runway tonight and Product Runway coming up on August 28th, what better time than now to catch up with Project Runway alum and Seattle native Jack Mackenroth? We got a chance to talk with Jack and get the deets on PR, Tim Gunn, Kevin Christiana, and the fashion design event coming to Seattle next week.
Jack, you’re living in New York right now, but you’re originally from Seattle. Where exactly are you from?
Bellevue, before it was so fabulous, in Newport Hills. My mom [currently] lives in Capitol Hill. I remember telling my mom I was gay when I was 18, and she was like "I don’t even know any gay people." Now she lives on the Hill, which is like Gay City. Ha!
Do you think Seattle has impacted your perspective on fashion at all?
Downtown Seattle is so beautiful, but it is about comfort, and I tend to wear jeans and t-shirts being always outdoors in Washington.... I’m not sure if it’s impacted my design aesthetic, but definitely my own style.
Do you think you would have won Project Runway if you didn’t have to leave the show due to illness?
I think I would have been a good contender. There were a lot of really talented people...and reality TV is not real. It’s more about who the producers want to win; that’s what I’ve learned. Christian was a great winner--he is amazingly talented, and I talk to him all the time. Maybe I’ll go back on one day. The producers said I could come back when I left, but when it was time, they changed their minds. Now that’s it on Lifetime, I’m not sure.
What do you think of fellow Seattleite Project Runway contestant Blayne Walsh?
I met him once. TV personalities are highly edited, but I met him at the finales and he was super nice and very tan. His aesthetic is club kid craziness, and I’m more Diane von Furstenberg/Anne Taylor, but he seems really talented and kind of a shitstorm.
What about Tim Gunn? Everyone seems to sweat him, did you?
When we had our meetings with him, they only lasted a half hour. They were so controlled, so I didn’t get to know him that well during the show, but his job is to be neutral and objective, so for that he’s been great. We’ve done some events together, and he is just like he is on TV, so nice and well-mannered.
Are you working on a line now?
I’ve been working on a design show, which I can’t talk too much about yet, with Kevin Christiana from Project Runway. Flying back and forth from LA is taking up a lot of my time, so I have had all my design stuff on hold. I do little weird projects though, like the one for Matthew Shepard Foundation, where I dressed a Build-a-Bear as Christina Aguilera for charity...weird stuff like that. But if the TV show doesn’t happen, it's likely to go back to fashion. We have meetings with two networks this month in NYC and LA. Kevin and I are co-hosts and co-designers with a Project Runway flair. It’s adorable and our chemistry is hilarious. I hope it will happen. The tv show is fashion-focused and more intimate in how we do things. There's DIY takeaway information that you can’t encapsulate from PR--it’s more in-depth and it’s not a competition. Okay, that’s all I can say!
Kevin kinda looks like Joey Fatone, right?
Joey Fatone? Hahahaha, we’ve done a bunch of shows together and we’re great friends, so when I describe him I always say "the straight guy who looks like Joey Fatone," so yes, I agree!
Tell me about Product Runway. You and Kevin are coming into Seattle soon to host this program.
It’s an event in Seattle where local interior designers and architects and other members of the interior design community use interior design materials such as linoleum, tile, carpeting, and upholstery to create fabulous fashions. Every design company is paired with a product company to make an entire outfit out of upholstery, carpet, or even office supplies. The outfits transform on the runway and most are really elaborate and crazy good. I judged last year, and this year they called me to host it, so Kevin and I are doing it together. Last year was amazing, and I am sure this year will be even more incredible. This year we’ll be auctioning off an original Jason Wu dress, and the proceeds will go to the Seattle Ronald McDonald House.
You’re pretty involved in the LGBT community, particularly regarding AIDS activism. What are you doing now?
I have a program with Living Positive by Design, and I speak about HIV and prevention a lot. I also do a radio show on the internet every Wednesday at 2 p.m. Eastern called PozIam, and we interview people who have been affected by HIV.
Any chance you’ll move back to the Emerald City?
I live in Harlem and I love it, but maybe I’ll move back when I retire. But I do love Seattle!
Product Runway // 7 p.m. August 28th // Seattle Exhibition Hall // $30-100
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